Stranded
by topgun308
Summary: Two marines are stranded on Reach when their ship leaves without them.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

"_Alright marines, listen up!" roars the Lieutenant, "Our objective is to get these civilians to the Evac Point so they can get outta here. Sergeant Shearer, take your section and cover the left flank. Sergeant Cummins, you have the right. The rest of you, on me. Clear?"_

"_Sir, yes sir!" comes the reply._

"_Then let's get to work people! Move, move, move!"_

_..._

_..._

_There is a loud explosion. The two marines on point are killed instantly._

"_AMBUSH!" someone yells._

_Everyone ducks for cover as flashes of green and pink whizz through the dust and into the formation, marines scrambling for cover. Some don't make it. The marines return fire, taking out several Jackals and an Elite, then being forced back into cover. _

_The Jackals make a slow, firing advance behind their shields, protecting the Elites behind them. A marine rolls a frag grenade like a bowling ball. The Jackals scramble. There is a loud explosion. Jackals are thrown everywhere and the marines mow them down. _

_The Elites, void of their protective barrier, resume their onslaught. Another marine goes down in the dash for safety. He sees him go down, and reaches out for his hand, pulling him the rest of the way. The downed marine moans in agony, the plasma shot had bitten off a small portion of his torso. "Don't worry buddy, we'll get you out of here," he says above the gunfire. The other marines renew their assault, bringing down more Elites. _

_He yells into his radio, "this is X-Ray team; we have been engaged, taking heavy casualties! We need back-up NOW!" _

"_Copy that X-Ray, We're almost there," comes a reply. _

_Suddenly, more gunfire erupts from the Elites' left flank, catching them off, and wiping them out._

"_Friendlies coming through!" yells a voice. _

_More marines come running from their position. They check over the fallen, looking to see who is still alive. Six marines from a squad of 22 had been killed, and two more are critically injured. One of the slain was the lieutenant. _

_A rather poor exchange for 5 Elites and 10 Jackals. _

"_Regroup on me," says a Gunnery Sergeant quietly. He was the next highest rank. "Let's move on"._

_..._

_..._

There was a flash and a loud roar as the last UNSC frigate, _Aegis Fate_, lifted from the dock yards on Reach. The frigate almost looked serene against the backdrop from Hell. The ruins of New Alexandria in the distance were bone-dry and lifeless. The wind made a distinct whistling noise. Phantoms could be heard in the distance. Then, the roar of a Warthog as it pulled to a halt. Its occupants stared in utter horror as their last hope for survival slipped away into space. A marine, got out, cursing furiously.

"No, no, no, no, NO! Fuck, we were too late!"

His companion just watched in silence, shaking her head.

"Damn it, that's just great" he said, "Now there's no way to get off".

The first marine sighed and got back in the 'Hog. "Piece of shit couldn't wait that LITTLE bit longer", he muttered. They sat in silence, trying to make sense of their situation. He turned to his companion, who was struggling to hold back tears.

"This is it" she said, "This is a marine's life in a nutshell, doomed to die from day 1 on some remote hell-hole, alone." She met his gaze, "Is it really worth it? Spending months fighting for your very survival, against an alien horde that is slowly but surely wiping out your close friends, one by one, all for what? To buy time for the next guy, until he dies?"

He didn't know what to say. But he knew one thing: he didn't plan on dying today.

"Don't worry" he said, "I'm not going to let them simply kill us when they come. I know a good place in those mountain ranges over there. If we can get there, we can set up some sort of hide-out to stay in, or if need be...make a last stand".

"How will we survive out there?" asked his companion, wiping her eyes, "we don't have any food supplies. We'd have to raid the city just for scraps. And when the Covvies glass the city, we'd starve".

He pondered this statement. "I'm sure we'll think of something, even if it means stealing from the Elites".

"You'd eat Elite food?" she asked in disgust.

"If there was nothing left, then yes."

There was a moment's pause.

"Well, we should search the dock yards for supplies. If we're gonna hold out for as long as possible, we're not gonna do it with sticks" he said, gunning the engine and racing off.

They pulled up to a large structure. "Let's start looking here", he said.

They walked around the complex, on edge with nervousness, wary for Covenant patrols. They came to a door saying ARMOURY.

"This looks promising" said the first marine. The door slides open as they walked in. There was a large container with weapons of various sorts. The first marine grabbed an M45 shotgun and a small ammunition crate. The second marine picked up ammunition for her MA37 assault rifle and a M6 pistol.

"Hopefully, this will keep us going for a bit" said the first marine, "if we run out, we're gonna have to come back for more".

As they started heading back to the Warthog, they heard heavy footsteps in the corridor outside.

Their faces went white with horror as a menacing shadow appeared in the door way.

"Shit" whispered the first marine frantically, "Hide!"

The Elite walked in and scanned the room. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, it walked out again, muttering something in Sangheili. The marines slowly emerged from their hiding spots, the first marine making a low whistle in relief. "That was too close" he whispered.

Apparently Elites have good hearing, as it poked its head back in, and instantly saw the two humans. It growled as it pulled its plasma rifle from the holster. Adrenaline kicked in as the marines ducked for cover. The Elite ran up to the second marine, trying to blow her head clean off. There was a loud BLAM, blood went everywhere, and there was a high pitched scream.

The marine slowly opened her eyes. She was still alive. Covered head to toe in Elite blood and nerves almost at breaking point, but alive. The Elite almost smothered her as its dead corpse fell limp in top of her. The first marine slowly lowered his shotgun and went to help her.

With a heave, the corpse was on the floor. The second marine was breathing heavily, realizing how close to death she was. The first marine broke the silence.

"Let's move, before more show up".

They walked out to the 'Hog, throwing their supplies into the back. The first marine took the driver's spot, his companion riding shotgun.

"The quickest way to the mountains is via the highway," he said, "It's probably riddled with Covvies, but that's a chance we just have to take".

His companion nodded silently, steeling herself for the ride.

He put the 'Hog in gear and sped off. They reached a main road leading to New Alexandria. Suddenly he had an idea. He violently jerked the car off the road and into the scrub.

"What are you doing?" asked the second marine, caught off by this rapid change of plan.

"I just remembered, " He replied, "That this thing is a four-wheel drive. We don't NEED to go by the highway!"

His companion facepalmed as they made a b-line for the mountains. The terrain was rough and bumpy, and the equipment in the back rattled loudly. The second marine glimpsed at the rear-view mirror and a look of horror came to her face. Noticing her expression, he craned his neck to look around.

At the last second he saw a green blob hurtling towards them.

A Banshee was looming menacingly over them, its fuel rod cannon noticeably steaming. The projectile landed a near-miss, launching the Warthog into a rapid spin, ejecting its occupants into the ground. The marines hit the ground with a thud. Everything was suddenly in slow motion.

He struggled to pull himself together, vision going hazy. His joints protested against the ordeal of the landing.

The Banshee landed, its pilot hopped out to get a close up view of its victims. It stood over the marine in amusement, watching this pathetic human's feeble attempts to get away. Activating its Energy Sword, it wound back to deliver a coup de grace. The marine flinched. The second marine watched helplessly as the Elite went for the kill. She bowed her head, not wanting to watch.

There was a loud pop. She didn't bother looking, and tried to crawl away.

Then it dawned on her. Energy Swords don't make a noise like that. They make a soft hiss as they slice. She looked and saw a now-headless Elite fall to the ground. There was a faint, white contrail passing through where its head once was. She followed the contrail to the mountains. Someone was already up there, alive, and with a sniper rifle.

The first marine stopped cringing when he realized he was still alive. He looked and saw the contrail, thanked God for whoever that was, and tried to get up. The Warthog was on its back, not going anywhere any time soon. They pulled themselves together, grabbed their equipment and started walking.

As they walked, the first marine was in thought. Who could it have been that just saved them? How did they also miss the evac ships? Why compromise their position for a couple of marines? It didn't make sense.

In the distance, they heard the distinct sound of a Falcon, as one appeared from the ranges. It slowly lowered in front of them. Over the headsets in their helmets, they heard two words: "Get in".

They took up position in the gun turrets, placing their equipment on the seats behind them.

"Thank you for flying with Sierra Airlines", said the voice in a mock pilot's accent, "Flight 308 to the middle of God-knows-where, we hope you have a pleasant flight."

Great, a comedian, thought the marine.

They came to a natural cave in the side of the mountain. A campfire was up and running, and there were various pieces of equipment lying around. The Falcon came to a gentle landing just outside the entrance. The marines disembarked and headed to the campsite. A figure caught the first marine's eye. It was a soldier, fully clad in armour. He realized it was a Spartan. He gazed at the Spartan's attire. His colouration was quite unique, brown and cyan. He had a Mark 5 helmet with U/A, Recon shoulder guards and LRP chest piece. He cradled an SRS99 in his arms like a father would his child. He also had an M45 shotgun magnetized to his back.

The marine turned and saw a second Spartan emerge from the Falcon. This one had an EOD helmet with CNM mod, Commando shoulder guards, Commando chest piece, TacPad wrist piece, Softcase utility and Para knee guards. His armour was Steel and Brick in colour. He also had a shotgun on his back, what looked like two Energy Sword hilts on his utility belt and an M6 pistol holstered to his thigh-piece. His pitch-black visor gave the marine a feeling of uneasiness. The Spartan's voice contrasted that though.

"How's it goin'?" he asked with a nod. The marines just look at him. His voice was very casual, considering his predicament, and he had a distinct Australian accent. He extended his hand.

"Chief Petty Officer Jake-B468," he said, "Pleased to meet ya."

The marine shook his hand, "Sergeant Ben Shearer, from the 12th-"

"Yeah that's nice," Jake interrupted, "I don't care what unit you're from. Names only, please."

"Well, that's my friend, Corporal Sam Wentworth," said Ben, referring to his companion, who was studying Jake with curiosity. Sam gave a small wave. Jake nodded in response.

The sniper Spartan got up and extended his hand, "Petty Officer 1st Class Rylee-G739". Sam shook it.

"Well then," said Jake, "now everyone's acquainted, let's get to business. It is highly unlikely that the UNSC will come back to this shithole for another dozen years at least, so the idea is fairly simple. We hold out for as long as possible until either someone comes to help us," he said, counting on his fingers, "the war ends and we can emerge peacefully... or we die."

"Sir," said Ben, "with all due respect, how do you plan to do this?"

"It's simple my friend. We fuck shit up where we can," came the blunt reply, "and Ben, isn't it? ... Don't call me 'sir'".

"I see."

Rylee placed his rifle on a boulder, scanning the surroundings. "So where are you two from?" he asked.

"Reach", said Ben, tapping the left part of his chest with his fist, "Born and raised."

"Earth," said Sam.

"Oh? Which part of Earth?" asked Jake.

"Auckland, New Zealand," She replied.

"I see..." he mused.

"Uh, people?" said Rylee, with edginess in his voice, "we're gonna have a situation here."

Jake and the marines came over. A Covenant Phantom approached, main cannon blazing.

"Oh shit! Brace from impact!" yelled Jake. Everyone ducked behind the boulder as the projectiles slammed into their position. After the salvo, Jake did a check to make sure everyone was okay.

"We can't have you dying on us ALREADY marines!" he said.

"Here come the infantry!" said Rylee.

All hell broke loose as the two sides exchanged fire. The Grunts and Jackals went down in the first few seconds. An Elite let loose with its Plasma Repeater, forcing the humans to take cover. Jake threw a grenade over his head. If the Elite saw it land by its feet, it didn't show. There was a loud explosion, a roar, and the dust settled.

"Right," said Jake, "Ben, Sam, scavenge their weapons, we'll cover you."

Ben slowly emerged from the boulder, keeping his gun trained on the limp bodies just in case. Sam moved as fast as her legs would carry her, snatching up the Plasma Repeater, and collecting some dropped Plasma Grenades. They returned with full hands, placing the loot in the cave.

"That's not all of them" said Rylee, "We have more Phantoms inbound!"

"Pfft," Jake scoffed, "That's all? I was expecting them to send a lot more than that."

The next few hours followed the same routine. Phantoms dropped reinforcements, the Spartans and Marines made mincemeat of them, and they would collect any dropped weapons of interest. Ben was beginning to wonder how long they could keep this up.

By the end of it, Ben and Sam were exhausted. Their breathing was in big gasps, sweat dripping from their faces.

"Shit," said Jake, "You'd think you just ran a huge obstacle course in 40 degree heat."

"Forty degrees isn't that much," said Ben.

"Celsius," corrected Jake.

"Oh."

"It's getting dark," said Rylee, "we should start getting some sleep."

He took up his position for night-watch as the team, one by one, nodded off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

"_Right team," said the Gunnery Sergeant, "We've held them off for this long, let's keep up the good work so we can get the civilians out of here! Do us all favours... don't get yourselves killed."_

_..._

_..._

"_Look out, Hunters!"_

_There is a deafening explosion. _

_Everything goes deathly silent. He struggles to get back to his feet. There is a scene of devastation. His pulse rapidly accelerates. He tries to take a step. Pain burns like fire up and down his leg. Oh shit, no wonder, his leg IS on fire! Fuck, gotta put it out. Water. Need water. Bottle in the backpack. Put it out. Holy shit, the hot and cold extremities are almost unbearable. Oh no, here they come. Gotta run. Someone to the side moans in agony. _

_Corporal Wentworth's still alive too! They're gonna kill her! Not on his watch. He points the assault rifle at them at holds the trigger. The clip empties. Covvies dead. The Hunters have moved on. Get her out of there! He slings her over his shoulders, and starts to run, trying to ignore the agony from his leg..._

_..._

_..._

"_C'mon Corporal, wake up!" he begs, "don't die on me...please..."_

_She makes a low groan to confirm her existence. C'mon, buddy, stay with me, he begs silently. _

_She squints as she looks around. She's propped up against the wall. He's wrapping a bandage around a gash on her leg. _

"_Don't worry," he says softly, "I promise you, we WILL pull through this"._

_She nods, grimacing as he jerks the bandage tight, pain shooting through her body. _

"_Just relax," he says, "I've got this"._

_She notices the burn on HIS leg. "What about you?"_

"_Don't worry about me, it's nothing!" he insists. Even in her state, she can tell he's trying to put on a brave face. _

"_Just settle down, and I'll take care of everything..." _

_..._

_..._

Ben awoke with a start. He looked around. It's not yet morning. Jake is now on guard duty. Sam and Rylee are asleep. Jake shifted his gaze to Ben.

"Can't sleep, mate?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah...just ...I don't know..." Ben was too tired to muster a proper reply. "Just had a nasty dream, that's all".

"I see," said Jake, "I'm not surprised really. Well, since you're awake, it's your turn for guard duty".

"What..?" Ben was confused. Oh well.

Jake handed him the sniper rifle. "If anything comes up, wake us".

Ben wandered to the boulder and started scanning the area. It was quiet, save for the soft hum of Phantom engines off in the distance. He shifted his weight so he leaned on the cave wall. There was a whistle and a pink flash for a brief second.

Ben froze. He scanned around again to find what that was. He walked to the other side of the entrance to get a better look on the other side. More whistles and flashes of pink. He turned and almost shat himself when he saw three thin, pink spikes sticking from the wall. Jackal snipers!

"Jake! Rylee! Sam! We got snipers!"

"Jackals?" asked Jake. His voice was surprisingly calm, almost nonchalant, "Is that all? Here, give me that," he said, taking the sniper rifle back and disappearing around the corner. There were several minutes of nervous silence. Ben swore that was the longest 3 minutes of his life.

A loud bang echoed throughout the mountain range. Jake re-emerged a minute later.

"Dunno what YOU were so worried about," he said, smirking.

"What's going on?" asked a drowsy Sam.

"Nothing," said Jake, "Get back to sleep."

Ben went back to the boulder, taking the sniper rifle. That Jake character was starting to get annoying. How could he treat a very real threat like certain death as little more than a game? It just didn't make sense. Spartans usually were quite fearless as it was, but this guy thinks it's all a joke.

Movement to the right caught his eye. A Phantom slowly lumbered through the mountain ranges, searchlight scanning back and both in a sweeping arc.

"Look sharp people," he said, "Phantom."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," said Jake.

Everyone moved to hide.

Let's hope that campfire doesn't tip them off, thought Rylee.

The searchlight passed through the cave. The Phantom came to a halt. Everyone froze. Two Elites and half a dozen Grunts hopped out and started studying the campsite. The Elites muttered to each other in Sangheili.

They kicked out the campfire and paced around, searching for something to kill. One activated its Energy Sword, using its glow as a searchlight. The other Elite followed suit. Movement caught its eye, and the Elite headed towards a piece of cave wall jutting out like an alcove. Sam held her breath, trembling in fright. As quietly as she could, she unholstered her pistol. The instant she saw its ugly head, she pulled the trigger.

At point blank range, its shields did little to protect it. The second Elite turned as its friend fell. The Grunts almost went nuts. The second Elite rushed to avenge its partner. It didn't see Rylee with his shotgun. With a loud, echoed bang, the second Elite was no more.

Ben and Jake made quick work of the Grunts, simply stabbing them with their combat knives. Ben looked up. The Phantom was gone.

"Chances are, they're off for reinforcements," he said, "We should probably move on from this place."

"He's right," said Rylee, "If they keep coming here, they're gonna rip this place to bits".

As if on cue, the cave started rumbling, then pieces of the roof started caving in.

"I second your idea!" said Jake, "Everybody out! Get ready to kick some ass!"

Sam managed to get out just as the entrance sealed up.

Almost instantly, it was raining plasma.

"Cheeky bastards," muttered Jake, returning fire.

Further up the mountain, a group of Grunts, Jackals and Elites had planted detonation charges, and ambushed the humans down below. Ben and Sam clung to the cliff-face, trying to stay alive. Jake and Rylee scrambled up the mountain to engage them.

Sam cringed as several plasma shots whizzed past her head. Ben glanced and saw Jake blow a 3 inch hole in an Elite with his shotgun, splattering purple blood everywhere. Rylee simply went around stabbing Grunts and Jackals with his knife.

Ben was almost jealous. These guys are making it look so EASY. It's amazing that they can stare death in the face and laugh, he thought. He shifted his gaze to Sam, who was also watching with interest.

The last Covvie was now dead. Jake flashed the finger to a passing Phantom. Several Elites jumped out.

"Great work genius," muttered Rylee, "way to get their attention."

"I thought so too," said Jake. His voice was almost...ecstatic.

"This guy's gonna get himself killed," said Sam.

Jake switched to the Energy Swords on his belt.

The Elites roared in anger that this mere human defiled their sacred weapons. They charged at him like bezerk Brutes, bent on ripping this affrontment apart.

The first Elite swung its Plasma Repeater like a club. He ducked into the swing then brought his right Sword skyward in an uppercut that disembowelled it.

The second Elite launched its foot in a powerful kick. He deftly dodged to the right, and then swung his left Sword. The Elite blocked it with its Repeater, which promptly blew up in its face. He rammed his right sword into the Elite's gut, spewing blood everywhere like a fountain.

The third Elite came to a standstill and opened fire. Jake shifted his posture so that the dead Elite acted as a meatbag shield. The fourth Elite brought its own Sword at his head. He parried with his left, and shoved the corpse at it. He pulled back and threw his right sword at the third Elite like a throwing knife.

The Elite ducked to the left, but it wasn't fast enough. The whirring blade of death lodged itself in the Elite's shoulder. It made a horrible howling sound in pain. He shifted the second blade to his right hand and made a battle pose. The fourth and last Elite dropped its comrade to the ground, and charged at the Spartan.

The Elite brought its Sword down in a powerful overhead slice. Jake parried, their Swords making a loud zapping sound. The Elite swiped at his legs. The Spartan jumped and thrust his blade into the Elite's face. As he withdrew the blade, blood gushed from its face, splattering the Spartan from his head to his torso.

"Ugh, that's nasty!" muttered Rylee.

"Damn, I love being epic," Jake exclaimed proudly.

He walked up to the wounded third Elite. The Sangheili stared him in the face, defiant that it had lost. Jake disarmed its Repeater, reclaimed the Sword in its shoulder and came behind it. The Elite's gaze followed him as far as it would go. He took his knife, and slit its neck. The body slumped over with a thud.

Jake wandered back to the group. Sam was almost speechless. Ben stared in awe, a new wave of respect washed over him. Sure, Jake had a rather carefree, almost careless attitude, but he was able to back it up.

Rylee was almost nonchalant. "That's nothing. You should 'a seen the time he took on TEN PAIRS of Hunters..."

"We should probably get out of here," said Jake, "The Covvies won't take long to come back".

Sam pondered to herself as they clambered across the mountainside. What sort of person IS this guy? His skills with the Energy Swords were exceptional, duel-wielding them without a drop in form. If Rylee was from the same unit, did HE possess similar skills? She knew that, from the rumours, Spartans were inhumanly strong, fast and skilled. Having seen them up-close, she certainly didn't deny them.

As Sam was lost in her thoughts, Ben wandered alongside side Jake.

"I'm glad we have YOUR skills with us".

"Meh," he replied, "kicking ass is part of the job requirement".

"How long do you think we can keep this up? Even with your talents, the odds of survival are VERY long indeed. It might be YEARS before the UNSC come back. For all we know, we could very well lose this war and we could be the last humans alive anywhere".

"Buddy, if there's one thing I know for certain," Jake answered, "it's that the Human Race is resilient. We'll bounce back from this...eventually. The Covenant can bask in the idea all they like. I highly doubt they'd be able to kill ALL of us."

Ben wondered to himself, where does his optimism come from?

It didn't make sense at all.

Sam didn't notice that loose rock. It gave way under her weight, triggering a mini-avalanche. She let out a shrill cry as she almost fell, were it not for Rylee's quick reflexes, snatching her arm from mid-air. "Better watch where you're stepping there, Corporal," he said.

After several hours of walking, they came to a ravine.

Jake wondered aloud, "What are the odds that there are a couple dozen snipers around here".

Rylee scanned the area with the scope on the sniper rifle.

No-one dared move. No-one spoke. The tension rose rapidly. A loud BANG echoed up and down the valley. The marines flinched. In the distance, a Jackal slumped over.

Suddenly the valley exploded with motion. Jackals everywhere started scampering around, taking pot shots at the group.

"RUN!" yelled Ben. He and Sam scrambled to find cover. He turned in surprise when the Spartans didn't follow. Jake was sprinting up the valley, Energy Sword in his right hand, dragging it across the ground, making an irritating scratching sound. A Jackal was caught off, and started firing blindly at the Spartan. Jake brought the Sword across in a sweeping, deadly arc, slicing the Jackal's head clean off. Another Jackal caught his eye, and he started dashing at it. He was almost a blur, uppercutting the Jackal square in its thin, bird-like face.

Rylee demonstrated his skills with the sniper rifle, picking off Jackals left, right and centre. He pulled the empty cartridge out, inserted a fresh one, and then continued firing.

Ben saw a Jackal race for cover behind a rock to his right. It was watching Jake with a mix of shock and awe. It didn't see Ben sneak up on it. He rammed his knife into the Jackal's skull. Sheathing the knife, he picked up its Needle Rifle. He spotted another Jackal cringing near a rocky outcrop on the other side of the ravine. He drew a bead on its head. Then he realized... what's the trigger on this thing? He didn't have a clue.

Frustrated, he dropped it and headed back to Sam, who was grappling with a Jackal she tried to knife. It saw her at the last second and raised its rifle to block. She rammed her wrist on it, pain shooting up her arm. She kicked in the gut, snatched the rifle, and methodically started beating it over the head. There was a sickening crunch as its skull gave it. She gave it one last whack, making sure it was dead. A pink flash whistled dangerously past her head. She ducked down behind a rock, cursing her carelessness as she did.

Ben sat there as Jake and Rylee proceeded to finish off the Jackals. He made a grim face. If they were going to try and survive a long time, they had MANY more Covenant to go.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

_Gotta find a Medical station. She won't last long without help. He needs to find a map. He doesn't exactly know the city by heart. Shit, where was he gonna find one of those? There must be one somewhere, anywhere..._

_..._

_There's one! Just as she's coming around too. He places her on the ground, leaning her against a demolished wall. "Are you alright, Corporal?" he asks. The only reply she can muster is a low moan. "That's what I thought," he mutters, "Don't worry, I will get you some help...then we should try to get back to the _Fate_..."_

_She flinches as something starts tapping her helmet. Rain. That's odd, how can it rain when the atmosphere is all but destroyed? It's getting dark, so it's hard to make out any clouds._

"_Heh," he mutters, smiling, "There's still some life in this dustbowl yet"._

_She reaches out, the rain tapping gently against her hand. Despite her pain, she musters a smile as well. When was it the last time it rained here? She wondered, just another simple thing that we take for granted._

_The rain starts to pick up, and soon it's a downpour. She curls up, shivering as the temperature drops. The cold starts to numb the pain in her leg. He drapes his arm around her. They huddle up close, trying to keep warm. He holds the map in his left hand, studying it closely. The Corporal leans her head against his shoulder, and before long she is asleep. He places the map beside him and sighs in relief, trying to relax..._

_..._

_..._

"You still with us, Sunshine?"

Ben snapped from his trance with a start. "What...oh, yeah."

"Just making sure," said Jake. He had Jackal blood all over him.

"I see you had fun," Sam commented.

"Lots," he said with a nod. Beneath his helmet, he had a grin from ear to ear.

"Right people," said Rylee, "We need to move on".

They crossed the ravine. On the other side, the slope became steep. After 10 minutes, Sam piped up, "Where are we going anyway?"

"This way," said Jake simply. Sam facepalmed. "You don't even know?" she asked, stunned.

"I'm sure we'll find somewhere to stay," he said.

Fancy that, Sam thought incredulously, a Spartan that is COMPLETELY winging this! Chances are, he doesn't really care WHERE they end up, as long as there's Covenant in slashing distance of his Swords. Rylee seems to be the more... sane of the two. At least he doesn't LOOK for life-threatening fights.

Ben was starting to feel the strain of carrying 40kg of weapons and equipment up and down steep inclines. His legs ached. "Can't we take a quick rest?" he pleaded. Jake looked at him. There was a short silence. "Fine," he said, "Quick break people!"

Sam let a sigh of relief, dropping her backpack with a thud. "This thing's heavier than it looks," she said. Jake wandered over and picked it up, tossing it around a few times. To him, it was as light as anything. "Dunno what you're complaining about..." he said.

Rylee fidgeted with his helmet. Static was coming through the headset. Maybe there was someone out there. He adjusted the frequency to the E-Band. Surely, out there somewhere, there were still other Spartans struggling for their lives. The static disappeared.

"...ly Oly Oxen Free...Oly Oly Oxen Free..."

That was it!

"Alright People," he said, "there's definitely more Spartans out there!"

The team looked at him. Jake adjusted his headset. Sure enough, "...Oly Oly Oxen Free..."

"Well get a load of that..." he murmured in surprise. "Any idea of the source?"

"Uh, let me get back to you on that..." said Rylee, "There we go! Roughly...a few miles north of here."

"There you go Sam," said Jake triumphantly, "We're going north! Rylee, respond likewise and tell 'em we're coming!"

"Righto..," he replied, "Oly Oly Oxen Free, all out in the Free, we are Free, copy?"

There was quiet. Then the voice responded, "Copy that, we read you. Please identify yourself."

Rylee was ecstatic, "This is Sierra Seven-Three-Niner, over."

"Copy that, Sierra. Anyone else in your vicinity?"

"Affirmative. Sierra Four-Six-Eight and two marines, over."

"Copy that. Rendezvous at our position, Sector Eight-Two, two miles north of your position, over."

"Righto people," said Jake, overhearing the conversation, "let's go!"

Ben and Sam were puzzled. "Who was that? Our radios didn't get anything."

"Special Spartan frequency," said Rylee.

On they trudged. Not much of a rest, thought Ben. Then it dawned on him.

"Hang on; didn't you guys have a Falcon? Where'd that go?"

Everyone froze. There was a brief silence.

"I'm such a fuckin' IDIOT!" cursed Jake suddenly, "Of COURSE! Why didn't I think of that?"

Sam and Rylee facepalmed. What a moron, thought Sam.

As if on cue, the Falcon appeared over the mountain top. It veered around and landed 20 metres from them.

"Well that's handy," said Jake, "but who's the pilot?"

The canopy opened, and out jumped another Spartan. He had coral and gold armour, Mark 5 helmet, HazOp shoulder guards and Para knee guards. He had a jetpack on his back and a Rocket Launcher on a seat in the back of the Falcon.

"No way..," muttered Jake, "is that..."

"Alex-B374 at your service," He said in a mock bow.

"Hey buddy!" said Jake, getting him in a headlock, rubbing his helmet, "Fancy seeing YOU again!"

"Nice to see you too," said Alex, "I picked up the signal sent out by the guy up north, so when I found the Falcon, I figured I had an easy way to get there. Want a lift?"

"You my friend," replied Jake, releasing the headlock, "are a LEGEND".

"Who are these people?" asked Alex.

"This is Rylee, that's Ben and that's Sam," he said, pointing at each person respectively.

"Well, introductions aside, we're all going north, so let's get a move on," said Rylee.

Everyone piled into the Falcon.

"Oi, get out! I'm flying this bird!" said Jake.

"Oh what? Fine..." muttered Alex.

"I was always a better pilot than any of you anyway".

With everyone on board, the engines fired up, and the Falcon pulled up into the sky. It was almost sluggish under the weight of three Spartans and all their equipment, plus two marines. But it powered on towards the destination.

Ben wondered how many others were still stranded on Reach. Even if they were all Spartans, which would likely be the case, they would be hard-pressed trying to take on the entire Covenant army.

He looked around the cabin. Sam sat on his left; Rylee was on the left gun turret, Alex on the right. Jake and Alex seemed to be close friends, he thought.

"Hey Alex," he asked, "Were you and Jake in the same unit for a period of time?"

"Yep, back in the day..." his voice trailed off.

"I see," said Ben, "What about you, Rylee? How do you know Jake?"

"We fought together during the raid on New Alexandria," he said, "Since we missed the evac, we've been stuck together ever since".

"What about you?" asked Alex, "What's your story?"

"We were stationed at New Alexandria during the attack," said Sam, "our unit was..." she trailed off, the memories pouring in.

There was a moment's silence, save for the roar of the Falcon engines. The mood had shifted negatively.

"I see," said Rylee softly, "Sorry about your loss".

"Our orders were fairly simple really," she said. There was an obvious pain in her voice.

"Protect the civilians so they could evacuate. We were moving through a residential area, when we were ambushed by the Covenant. They had Hunters with them, and we didn't stand a chance. Within a few minutes, it was just me and him," she struggled to hold back tears now, "I was out cold, but he somehow got me out of there. I don't know what happened to the civilians, but it's likely none of them survived either".

There was more silence. Ben had his arm around her shoulders, a solemn look on his face.

Jake broke the ice, "Alright gang, here we are!"

He lowered the Falcon to another make-shift campsite. There were three tall, armoured humans watching them closely. Spartan-IIs, figured Jake. Unlike Jake, who was a Spartan-III, these Spartans all wore the same armour: The distinct olive-green titanium suits with orange visors. There was also another, shorter person, with silver-grey hair and a white coat. Dr Halsey, he realized. Jake's group dismounted the Falcon and walked over.

Ben and Sam had a shrinking feeling among these giants, who were standing over them with their faceless gazes, which emphasized said feeling. The two groups of Spartans eyed each other like rivals at a football match.

"Glad to see you made it," said a Spartan-II. Jake nodded in acknowledgement.

"Within the next few days, we shall start our campaign against the Covenant," he continued.

"Sounds like fun," said Jake, "mind if we join?"

The Spartan stared at him incredulously, "Fun? Are you serious? Since when was fighting the Covenant FUN?"

"Since always," replied Jake, "It keeps you active, it's a good workout..."

"Spartan, I don't think you understand the seriousness of this situation," said Halsey.

"Ignore him ma'am," said Rylee, "he's... a little weird like that".

"It's one of the perks of being Jake," said Alex.

"I see..." said Halsey, "well, welcome to the group. If you're going to make a game of this, you can do it elsewhere. Otherwise, we shall initiate a campaign of guerrilla tactics, hit and run raids. Our job will be to make their life hell. Any questions?"

No one spoke.

"Well, then let's acquaint ourselves, then prepare for our first attack. The Spartans here with me are Fred, Kelly and Will." Each Spartan nodded a hello.

"This is Rylee, Alex, Ben and Sam," said Jake. Each person made a nod or a wave.

Soon, everyone split into smaller groups, making preparations, talking amongst themselves, the usual.

Ben and Sam sat against a large rock. "I've never seen so many Spartans in one place," said Sam softly, intimidated by their appearances. Ben nodded in agreement. It certainly was an experience, sharing even the same BREATHING space with these walking legends. Sam couldn't help but stare in awe as they casually went around their business.

Jake, Rylee and Alex were busy setting up a make-shift armoury. Fred and Kelly were in a conversation with Halsey. Will was leaning against a boulder, watching the horizon.

"With all due respect ma'am," said Kelly, "I recommend the marines stay with you when we go out. I doubt they'd not be able to keep up with us, nor would they last long on the more... high-risk strikes".

"Very well then, I'll trust your judgement on that," Halsey replied, "Then it's decided. Our first strike shall be the Covenant digging site about 10 klicks from here. Take it out, and anyone defending it, and then pull back. Agreed?"

The Spartans nodded.

"Good, inform the others, and get ready. We start at 0900 hours tomorrow."

They split up and went about, telling everyone their plan.

Ben and Sam were shocked. "I'm sorry," said Fred, "but that's the way it is".

"I see," said Ben softly, "I guess you're right, really".

"It's probably for the best..." said Sam.

Fred nodded and walked away.

"Well that sucks," muttered Ben, rather irritated, "we're here to help, not sit around doing nothing".

"You won't be doing nothing," Fred turned, "You'll be protecting Halsey and the camp while we're gone. That in itself is a big leap of faith for us".

Ben was stunned. Fred heard that?

"Another rumour I heard is that Spartans have really good hearing," said Sam.

"Damn straight," said Fred, from the other side of the camp.

"We also have better vision and reflexes than the average human," said Will, not even looking at them.

This campaign is going to be LOTS of fun, Ben thought to himself sarcastically.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

_He slowly opens his eyes. He must've slept at least four hours. It's pitch black, prime time for Covenant Snipers. Panic sets in. They have to move now._

_The Corporal is still leaned against his shoulder, fast asleep. He gently shakes her awake. "C'mon Corporal, we're not in the clear just yet"._

_She rubs her eyes groggily. It's night-time. Why'd he bother her at this ungodly hour? _

_He takes her hand, beckoning her up. He slips the map in his pocket and picks up his Shotgun._

"_Can you walk?" he asks. She slowly gets to her feet, rather unsteady. "I think so," she says quietly. The pain in her leg isn't as bad as it used to be. The rain is still coming down hard. _

"_We need to get out of this rain," She says. She nods in agreement. _

_They start walking, keeping low to avoid being spotted by snipers. They come to a T-intersection._

"_Which way?" asks the Corporal. He checks the map again. "I think...we go this way," he says, going left. _

_"I hope you know where you're going," she says, uncertain._

"_Don't worry, I am fully capable of reading a simple map," he says. _

"_Is that why it's upside-down?" she asks sceptically._

"_What?" _

_He flips the map around. Shit, she was right! _

_They turn around. He grumbles to himself under his breath. She restrains from laughing at him. _

_Back up the road, they spot an abandoned Warthog. Should they risk it? The commotion would attract a lot of attention, but at least they'd have extra mobility. _

_He spots his companion hopping into the passenger seat, gesturing him to take the wheel. Stuff it. He gets in and nervously flicks the ignition. The engine makes a low, growling rumble. _

"_Let's do this," he says, grabbing the gear lever and shifting it into drive._

_..._

_..._

Ben slowly sat up in his make-shift bed. He and Sam kept close to the campfire to keep warm over night. He looks around. All the Spartans are already up and about. Sam was still sleeping contently across from him. She looked so...peaceful there. He didn't really want to wake her.

He got up and strapped on his armour. He wandered over to a supply crate and took out a ration pack. Arguably, not the nicest thing he'd bitten into, but never-the-less a meal.

He spotted the Spartans gathering near Halsey for their last minute briefing. Halsey was showing them a detailed picture of the plan layout. He wandered back over to Sam. Better wake her up now.

He gently tapped her shoulder. "Hey, wake up".

No response. He tried again, tapping slightly harder. "Oi, wake up".

Still nothing. Okay, let's try this. He walked to the water dispenser, poured a small cup of water, walked back and gently splashed her face. That did the trick.

"What the hell..." she grumbled.

Soon afterwards, everyone was gathered near Halsey.

"Once you take out those drills, pull back," she said, "run as fast as you can, leave no witnesses of your tracks. Understood?"

The Spartans nodded.

"Then let's get to work people!"

The Spartans dispersed and headed out North-West. Ben and Sam watched as they disappeared into the distance.

"Well, there they go," said Ben, "any idea what WE can do?"

"You can give me some assistance," said Halsey.

"Beats sitting around for hours," said Sam.

Halsey led them into her tent. There was a laptop set up on a small chair and a large stack of data disks and paper. She tapped the stack with a smile, "You can help me file through these".

Ben and Sam looked at each other. This was going to be a looong day...

...

Jake lay prone as he peered over the cliff-top. The other Spartans spread out alongside him. On the vast plains before them, the Covenant had set up some sort of digging site. A large group of Covenant was scattered around the area, digging and keeping watch.

"So," said Jake, "what's next?"

"We find a way to sneak in," replied Fred.

"Oh well THAT should be EASY," he said sarcastically, "How do you plan to do that? They've got guys everywhere!"

"We're Spartans," said Kelly, "I'm sure SOMEONE has an idea".

There was silence.

"Anyone?" she asks, uncertain.

"We need a distraction," said Alex.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Fred.

Jake crept forwards, "Let ME handle that". If someone didn't know better, one would think he had a huge grin beneath his helmet. "Where are you..." asked Fred, catching on, "Sigh... good luck".

Jake scrambled down the cliff face and sprinted to the edge of the site. He looked around, trying to avoid being spotted. He noticed a Grunt approaching on a Ghost. Perfect, he thought.

The Grunt hovered along at a leisurely pace, scouting the perimeter. Nothing out of the ordinary here, it thought. It didn't see Jake sprint up behind it. He rammed his knife into its skull. He pushed off the corpse and stole its mount. He didn't care who saw him now.

He gunned the throttle and made a b-line for the structure at the centre of the site. Covenant everywhere turned when they saw him bulldoze through the site, road killing dozens of them. He pulled up on a ridge on the other side. The entire site seemed to roar in fury. Hundreds of plasma bolts hurtled his way. He accelerated across the plains, drawing their fire like a magnet.

The other Spartans snuck into the camp completely unnoticed. They crept about, swiping unguarded plasma grenades. Rylee spotted an unused Wraith off to the left. Funny, he thought, it's not often they'd leave something like THAT lying around. He beckoned to Alex, who nodded, and they sprinted towards it.

"Where are you...?" began Fred, "Oh, cool".

Rylee took the driver's seat and Alex mounted the Gunner's position. The Wraith came to life with a low hum. "Alright you Covvie bastards," said Rylee, "EAT THIS!"

The Wraith shuddered in recoil as the Plasma Mortar fired. The shot made the unmistakeable whistling sound as it hurtled towards the structure in a gentle arc.

The shot slammed into the structure with a huge explosion. It groaned under the blow and toppled over with a resounding thud, crushing several Covenant beneath it.

Everyone turned and stared. Alex gave a wave, "Sup bitches?"

He was greeted by a hail of plasma shots. He opened fire with his plasma turret. Rylee reversed the thrusters as the Wraith retreated backwards. The other Spartans opened fire from their position. Jake pulled about and let loose with the cannon on the Ghost.

The Covenant force was trapped in a 3-way clamp, and they were dropping like flies.

Rylee launched another Plasma mortar into them, wiping them out.

Jake scouted the site for stragglers. Satisfied there were none, he pulled up alongside the Wraith.

"It was lucky you found that," he said. His top half was a myriad of colours, plastered with blood.

"Let's get out of here before more Covenant turn up," said Fred.

Just as they get to the cliff, sure enough a fleet of Phantoms drop from the sky.

"Oh goodie!" says Jake, "Play-time's not done yet!"

The Spartan-IIs stared at him like he was nuts.

The Spartan-IIIs facepalmed.

The Phantoms lowered to the ground and their occupants jumped out, itching to kill something.

"Look out people, we have Brutes!" Fred warned.

"Brutes, shmoots," said Jake, "They all die the same". He shot off towards them, cannon blazing. He ploughed through the densely packed group. Jackals and Grunts went flying. He had to boost to get through the Brutes though. He turned around, satisfied with the path of devastation he just left. The survivors opened fire on him. He opened the throttle right up to avoid being hit.

The Spartans on foot opened fire, mowing the Covenant down.

"Let's try that again," said Fred, "we need to leave NOW."

The Spartans regrouped and fled with the Wraith lumbering along in tow. Will almost cringed at the sight of the Ghost: it was heavily damaged upfront, and was smeared with blood of various colours, like its driver.

"You're not seriously keeping that, are you?" he asked in disgust.

"Probably not for long," said Jake.

"Since we finished early," said Rylee, "what's this afternoon's plan?"

"I guess Halsey would have something for us to do," replied Kelly. I HOPE she has something, she thought to herself. That strike was way too quick, no thanks to the psycho on the Ghost and his friends in the Wraith. She didn't want to sit out the rest of a perfectly good day doing nothing.

...

Ben heard the rumble of the Wraith engine in the distance. A feeling of dread came over him as her feared the worst. He peeked out of Halsey's tent, and was relieved to see it was commandeered by Spartans. The group strolled into camp. Halsey and Sam also looked, fearing it was the end.

Halsey relaxed when she saw the Spartans. "So, how'd you obtain that?" she asked.

"We needed it more than they did," said Alex as he hopped out.

"Ma'am," said Fred, "our mission was a complete success. We caught them off guard and wiped them all out".

"All of them?" asked Halsey, sceptically.

"To be fair," said Jake, dismounting the Ghost, "it was only a small group, no more than a couple hundred of them".

"Good Lord, you look like a MESS!" exclaimed Sam when she got a glimpse of him.

"Yeah, road killing a hundred guys in a Ghost kinda does that to a person," he replied.

"You're lucky," Ben grumbled, "we had to stack paperwork all day!"

Fred chuckled, "Trust me, it's better than running around trying to keep your head in one piece".

"Bullshit!" said Jake, "I'd take them on ANY day!"

"Of course you would," said Fred.

"Well, since you're all back earlier than I anticipated," said Halsey, "I have another mission for you".

"Already?" asked Kelly.

"Yes," replied Halsey, "There are reports of a Covenant outpost being set up on the other side of New Alexandria. I want you to destroy them".

"Well that'll be easier done than said!" said Jake cheerfully.

"There's one problem though," said Halsey, "They've been shipping in a lot of explosives in, possibly for excavation purposes, but you still have to be very careful. If one blows, the whole area in a two mile radius will as well. There is always the high possibility you won't come back."

"Oh please," said Jake, "You know how many times someone said THAT to me? And yet I'm STILL here!" He walked over to the armoury and grabbed the Rocket Launcher.

"What are you doing?" asked Ben, alarmed.

"Don't worry," he said, mounting the Ghost, "this won't take long. Keep the kettle boiled when I get back".

Before anyone could protest, He rammed open the throttle and zoomed off.

"He's gonna get himself killed one of these days," muttered Sam in disgust.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

...

Jake raced through New Alexandria like a bullet. Rocketing down the Highway at 300km an hour was never so much fun, he thought. He slowed to a stop at the top of an incline. From here, he could see the camp Halsey was referring to.

"Jake, what are you doing?" his radio screeched in his ear, "You're gonna get yourself blown to bits at this rate!" He switched it off in annoyance. There's nothing worse than a backseat driver telling you what to do, he thought.

He pulled the Rocket Launcher from his back and started walking. The people back at camp were probably fuming their heads off, he smiled.

He picked out a target: a large crate being shifted by a group of Grunts. He figured the logo on the side was their equivalent to a DANGER sign. He mounted the Launcher on his shoulder and took aim. Probably should've picked the sniper rifle, he thought.

He watched them carefully as they placed the crate near a stack of identical crates. Bingo, he thought. That pile's not very big, it probably wouldn't get the desired result. He'd have to wait until they unloaded more.

...

Sam sat on a rock, musing to herself about the likely hood that Jake would come back. From Dr Halsey's mission description, blowing up explosives with the power to wipe out a small town didn't give her any hope.

She snapped from her train of thought as Ben sat down beside her.

"Ugh, if he survives, he is going to get a SERIOUS talking to!" he grumbled.

"IF," she emphasized.

"I doubt he even has a care in the world of the danger he's in," said Ben, "as long as he gets to blow shit up".

"Well, he IS a Spartan, so I guess he has a plan sorted out. The odds are long, but don't be surprised if he pulls through," said Sam.

...

"Come OOON!" Jake moaned, "This is taking FOREVER!"

The stack wasn't much bigger than before. The Grunts were unloading the fourth crate now.

"Fuck it," he said. He drew a bead on the crate, waiting until they were close. Taking into account the wind and the deflection required, he brought the reticule across to the right and pulled the trigger.

The Launcher jerked violently as the rocket discharged. It left a thick, white contrail in its wake as it hurtled towards the target.

The Grunts dropped the crate in horror and tried to run. The missile slammed into the crate, triggering a powerful explosion.

Jake was already scrambling to the Ghost when the large pile detonated. He slammed open the accelerator and tapped the booster button. The Ghost launched forward as the shock waves hit them, increasing the acceleration.

Jake laughed manically as he raced back across New Alexandria.

...

Fred turned when he heard the explosion. The son of a bitch did it, he thought. There was a plume of fire that confirmed his suspicions.

Ben and Sam watched as thick, black smoke rose in the distance.

"He did it," said Halsey, "Now let's see if he survives the trip home".

...

Beneath his helmet, he was grinning from ear to ear. Pyrotechnics were always enjoyable at this time of year, he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

_The Warthog raced through the war-torn streets._

_He searched around, more concerned about shelter than the hospital. His companion was almost fully recovered, and their injuries weren't giving them as much grief anymore._

_He noticed she had fallen asleep again, leaning her head against the 'Hog's frame._

_He pulled up to an abandoned hotel. Let's hope there's no Covenant in here as well, he thought._

_He tapped her on the shoulder, "C'mon, let's rest here for the night". She nodded and rubbed her eyes. She must be really exhausted, he thought._

_They trudged into the hotel like zombies. She had her arm around him for support, almost sleep walking._

_There was no-one here. There were bodies and blood scattered around the lobby. The smell of death was sickening. She sat on the couch as he clambered over the counter. He rummaged through the keys, and chose one saying 23. _

_He clambered back over, and noticed she was already out. He was going to have to carry her. He placed his arms under her knees and around her shoulders and picked her up. _

_He walked to the lift and had to hit the button with his elbow. Nothing happened. _

_Great, he thought, he had to climb the stairs. In her armour and equipment, she was starting to get heavy. _

_He finally got to Room 23. He almost gonked her head on the door trying to unlock it. He kicked the door lightly and walked in. _

_He placed her on the bed and flopped on the couch. Something in the couch dug into his back. He sat up, startled. He removed the cushions to find an M45 stashed there. _

_What the hell, he thought, who leaves something like THIS there? It would've come in handy for the poor souls down stairs when they needed it most. _

_He moved the shotgun to the floor and sat back down on the couch. He sighed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow._

_..._

_..._

Ben turned his head when Jake returned to the camp.

"That's how it's done people!" he said triumphantly.

"Congratulations," said Fred sarcastically, "You are officially insane".

"And proud of it!" he said giddily.

The other Spartans just shook their heads and went back to what they were doing. Rylee and Alex were busy cleaning the weapons. The Spartan-IIs were sitting around, having a meal.

"So," he asked Halsey, "what's next on the to-kill list?"

"I think we need to settle down a bit here," she replied in a serious tone. "We won't be conducting any more operations for today, so just sit back and wind down".

Jake nodded, "Fair enough".

He wandered over to the Falcon and started pulling of the engine covers.

Ben sat down on a rock and watched him with curiosity. I didn't know Spartans were taught anything about mechanical engineering, he thought.

Something caught his eye off to the right. Something was out there. Concerned, he got up and walked over to where Rylee and Alex were cleaning up the weapons.

He grabbed an M6 from the table they set up. He inserted a clip and started walking out to investigate. "What are you doing?" asked Alex.

"I thought I saw movement out there," said Ben.

Alex grabbed an Assault rifle he just finished with, "Here, let me check".

He walked with Ben to the spot. "It was about here where I saw it," Ben explained.

Alex scanned the area, "I don't see- wait, there's something on the tracker. I'm gonna check it out".

He walked to where the blip was coming from. The large rocks obscured any direct line of site. The blip raced away off the tracker screen on his HUD. It got away.

They walked back to camp. The Covenant were closing in.

Alex walked into Halsey's tent. "Ma'am," Halsey turned, "We have a problem".

...

"Are you sure?" asked Halsey.

"I'm very sure of it," said Alex.

"Then we need to move," she said, a worried tone in her voice, "Inform the others. We leave tonight".

He nodded and left.

"They found us already?" she wondered aloud. How was that possible? The Covenant NEVER bothered looking in these parts. Perhaps they underestimated them? She rushed to pack up her equipment.

"Alright people, listen up!" said Alex in a loud voice, getting everyone's attention, "Start packing your things! We're moving on from here".

"Are you serious?" asked Kelly, "They found us already?"

"It seems that way," he replied, "We caught a glimpse of one fleeing to the South-East".

The Spartans looked at each other.

This was serious. They got up and started packing up.

"Jake, are you finished with the Falcon yet?" asked Ben.

"Just about," he said, reattaching the last panel, "There, all done!"

Ben stared at the Falcon. "What have you done?" he asked.

"I gave it a service and made it look AWESOME!" he said proudly, "Like it?"

The Falcon had been resprayed black and had a Shark's mouth painted to the front. He had also etched his name into the frame of the canopy: _Sierra-B468_.

Ben admired the handy work. "It looks good," he said.

"Jake! Ben! Get ready to go, now!" said Fred.

...

"It seems we won't be able to pile everyone into the Falcon," said Halsey, "so we're going to have to make several trips".

"Where are we going, ma'am?" asked Fred.

"My scanners found a clearing in a jungle 18 miles east of here," she said, "We shall set up camp there".

"Is there even any jungle LEFT on this planet?" asked Kelly.

"If there wasn't, I wouldn't have picked it out," said Halsey.

"Alright," said Jake enthusiastically, hopping into the pilot's seat, "Let's DO this!"

Halsey somehow had packed everything of hers into a large travel bag, which she placed on the seat next to her in the cabin. Ben and Sam mounted the gun turrets. Will took the remaining seat.

Jake flicked several switches and the engines whirred to life. He slowly opened the throttle as the Falcon eased into the air. He veered it around and headed east.

Halsey clung on to her bag to prevent it from falling out. Ben and Sam scanned the skies around them for threats.

After 10 minutes, the Falcon was flying over jungle, miraculously untouched by the Covenant glassing. Jake spotted the clearing and slowly lowered the Falcon.

Halsey, Will and the marines jumped out, and Jake lifted back off into the sky. First trip complete.

Fred watched as the Falcon returned and came down.

He and Kelly piled several supply crates onto the seats. Rylee and Alex manned the guns. The Falcon powered up and away.

As the Falcon flew off, Fred turned to finish packing the last of the crates.

Suddenly, several red blips popped up on his tracker.

"We have Covvies inbound!" he said.

"I see 'em too!" said Kelly. They grabbed their Assault rifles and took cover behind the rocks. There was a tense silence as the blips closed in on them.

The atmosphere became ablaze as plasma shots and needles hurtled towards the Spartans' positions. Fred ducked his head around and saw several Elites darting about, trying to get a good shot.

Kelly sprinted off, and became a blur as she proceeded to pick them off one by one. She was like a pinball, almost bouncing off the Elites, blowing their brains out at point blank range before they could react.

An Elite backed up, trying to avoid this demon of incredible speed, and right into Fred, who rammed his knife into its neck, slicing its arteries. The Elite gargled in pain as it started bleeding to death. Fred grabbed its head and snapped its neck.

"I doubt that's the last of them," said Kelly.

Sure enough, more Covenant started pouring out from their positions.

Fred and Kelly opened fire, taking down several of them in the first few seconds, and then ducked behind rocks to avoid the return fire. Fred grabbed a grenade from his belt and rolled it along the ground in amongst a pack of Grunts. They scattered, but some didn't make it. They were blown to bits.

A Grunt threw a plasma grenade, where it stuck to the rock Kelly was behind.

"Kelly! Move!" yelled Fred. Kelly jumped clear at the last second as it blew up, disintegrating the rock. Kelly held the trigger as she zipped to other position. An Elite crumpled to the ground.

Suddenly, Kelly disappeared into the distance. Fred beat a Jackal as he wondered where she was off to. He slipped out his knife and started stabbing whatever was handy, as the Covenant closed in around him.

Holding his knife in one hand, Assault rifle in the other, he made mincemeat of those unfortunate enough to be close to him. But they kept on coming. When he killed one, another took its place.

Kelly re-emerged in the Wraith, firing the Mortar into the densely packed formations of Covenant troops. Fred smiled beneath his helmet as he jumped into the gunner's seat and let loose the Plasma turret. They took out dozens at a time.

A Phantom dropped from the sky, firing its main battery. The Wraith shuddered from near misses as Kelly frantically tried to dodge the shots, frustrated by its slow speed. The gunners on the Phantom joined the chorus of Plasma directed at them.

Kelly fired the Mortar. The shot made the trademark whistle as it carved a graceful arc in the air.

It slammed into the Phantom's thick armour with an explosion that rocked it about. The Phantom was almost pushed into the ground, recovering just in time.

She fired again. The shot also hit its mark. This time there was no escape. The Phantom exploded in a ball of fire.

The Covenant forces on the ground renewed their assault, almost unfazed by their losses.

Fred mowed them down like grass as they rushed towards him.

Several Grunts activated their Plasma grenades as they ran.

"Oh no you don't," said Fred, redirecting the turret. The grenades lobbed forward as they fell, falling short of the Wraith. They exploded, the force driving the big tank back.

"That'll teach THEM to go kamikaze on us!" said Fred.

"HEY!" yelled a voice on the radio, "You DARE start the party without ME?"

The Falcon emerged from the hill line, its cannon also spitting death and destruction.

The Covenant had finally had enough and pulled back, leaving easily 120 dead behind them.

The Falcon landed next to the Wraith. Jake raised the canopy.

Kelly and Fred dismounted the Wraith.

"Right," said Fred, "Let's pack our stuff and get out of here!"

"So we're just gonna leave that here for them to reclaim?" asked Jake, pointing at the Wraith.

"No," said Fred. He picked up a container and opened it. He pulled out a plasma grenade they stole earlier.

"Aha," said Jake, "I like your style!"

Fred attached the blue orb of death to the back of the Wraith.  
>It detonated, and then the Wraith was absorbed in a massive blue ball of flames. When it settled, the Wraith was no more.<p>

"Such a waste," said Jake solemnly, shaking his head, "It will be missed".

Fred and Kelly gave him another "You're nuts" gaze, and then packed the containers into the Falcon. They took up the gun turrets, and Jake lifted the Falcon off the ground, closing the canopy as he did.

...

Halsey was busy setting up her gear when the Falcon came down for the last time. Even from 18 klicks away, she could faintly hear the thunder of explosions, praying that the Spartans would be victorious. She had no doubts in their abilities, but not even Spartans were completely indestructible. She looked outside with a data pad in hand.

"That's the last of them," said Jake, hopping out of the Falcon.

Fred and Kelly carried the crates over to Alex and Rylee, who were setting up another armoury of sorts.

"Cheers," said Rylee, taking a crate. It had more weight to it than the other crates. He looked inside. He marvelled at the site of a Spartan Laser. "Brand new," he admired, "Where'd you get this puppy?" he asked Fred.

"Castle Base," said Fred as he placed the rest of the crates down.

Rylee stared at the weapon for several seconds before putting it away. It might come in handy for later, he thought to himself.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

_Sleeping on the couch wasn't as comfortable as he anticipated. His back and neck were sore. He sat up, rubbing his neck. The Corporal was still asleep on the bed. _

_He looked out the window. The once bustling city of New Alexandria around him was now a Covenant-infested wasteland. A Cruiser fired its ventral beam, glassing the area beneath it. He watched on in sadness. He grew up here, and now had to witness it's destruction at the hands of a murderous horde of aliens._

_The Corporal blinked as she came round. She saw him standing at the window, watching the Cruiser. "I pray that, in time, they will look back on this, and they will think 'Why did we do that?'" she said softly. _

_He slowly turned, "Keep praying, because it's not happening anytime soon". His voice had a very sullen tone. She walked up beside him, "I'm sure SOMEONE on board those ships secretly thinks that"._

"_What if they're ALL heartless monsters with nothing better to do than fuck shit up?" he said suppressing a sniffle, "then there's no hope for any of us"._

_She gazed at his face. He was trying very hard not to cry in front of her. She started rubbing his back in comfort. When was it all going to end? She wondered._

_After a moment's silence, he pulled himself together and walked towards the door, snatching up the shotgun on his way. "We shouldn't stay here," he said, "Let's move"._

_..._

_..._

"Hey! Sunshine! Reach to Ben, come home!"  
>Ben blinked. Jake leaned out of his face. "You need to quit drifting off like that, bro. It's not cool".<p>

"Oh... sorry," he mumbled, "Got lost in my thoughts there".

Ben finished eating his breakfast and wandered to where Rylee was cleaning out the Rocket Launcher.

"How are you this morning?" asked Rylee, not even looking up.

"Not bad..." said Ben, "Yourself?"

"Oh, the usual: Mentally preparing myself to blow shit up, nothing new," he said, reattaching a launch tube with a click.

"Alright people," said Halsey, "Gather 'round, we have a new mission".

Everyone stopped what they were doing and paid attention.

"Earlier this morning we intercepted a Covenant transmission. Up there," said Halsey, pointing skywards, "A group of UNSC forces have hijacked a Covenant warship, and are currently on their way. We need to hold this position until they arrive."

Ben and Sam looked at each other. They couldn't believe it. Someone was coming to help them!

"However, we still need to wait until they get here, so we have until then to pack up again," said Halsey, "so without further ado, let's get cracking!"

...

It didn't take long for them to pack up. The longer something is left out, Jake said to Ben, the longer it takes to put it away. Ben didn't really make sense of it, or much else that Spartan did for that matter, but it sounded smart at the time.

They stacked all the containers in an orderly fashion near the Falcon. Jake stood nearby, tinkering with its engines. Ben watched with curiosity. "How did you learn to service a Falcon?" he asked.

"When you spend enough time with the engineers on your ship, you pick up a few tricks here and there," he replied.

Something on his tracker blinked red. Then more red dots rapidly filled the screen. He scrambled to get the panel back on, and then jumped into the pilot's seat.

"What's wrong?" asked Ben. The sound of plasma rifles answered his question.

"COVVIES!" he yelled at the top of his voice, mounting the gun turret.

The clearing exploded with motion. Everyone bolted for cover. Jake opened the throttle to the max, and Falcon violently lurched upwards.

Sam dashed for cover behind a tree with an Assault Rifle. A group of Grunts wandered into view, firing their pistols at the Spartans, who raced into action. She held the trigger until the clip emptied, killing all but one of them. She charged at it with a cry and rammed the butt of the gun on its head, smashing it in.

She removed the clip and inserted a fresh one just as several Elites came through. She ducked behind a tree to avoid their fire. God, I hope the rescuers come soon, she thought.

The Spartans gave it their all, dropping Covenant units like flies. The Covenant pressed their attack, and were starting to pay the price.

Kelly dashed through the trees like Sonic the Hedgehog, ramming her gun against their necks and blowing their heads off.

Fred quickly demonstrated his knife-fighting skills, slashing down foes left, right and centre.

Alex simply refused to release the trigger on his Assault rifle in a Rambo-style spree.

Rylee covered Halsey with his shotgun, putting it to good use. Halsey kept low behind a rock, trying not to get killed.

Jake came back down with the Falcon, spitting death with the nose-mounted cannon. Ben cut large swathes with the turret.

A large green blast barrelled through the Clearing, smashing through trees, causing several cases of friendly fire and almost striking the Falcon. Sam turned white with horror when she heard the low, rumbling chuckles: Hunters.

She dashed for the Falcon, leaping for the turret. She grabbed on just as Jake pulled up to avoid the armoured monsters coming into the clearing. She hauled herself up and took the gun. Ben turned and saw them as well. Sam was trembling at the sight of them, lumbering forward to engage in the fight.

The Hunters looked around at the scene surrounding them, muttering in an unintelligible language. One charged up its cannon and let loose a blast that barely missed Kelly. Fred turned and saw them. He ran to the crates and started frantically searching through them.

Kelly dashed behind them, using her speed to stay out of reach of their deadly 2 tonne shields, which they wielded like clubs. She kept on the defensive, dodging swings and running clear of cannon shots.

The Hunters were starting to get irritated. Why can't this worm sit still? It would make it so much quicker and easier...

The Hunters got bored of trying to kill that, so they changed to an easier target. The instant they turned their backs, Kelly slammed a plasma grenade into the gap in one's back plate. The creature turned in surprise. It caught a glimpse of the ball of doom just as it exploded.

The Hunter's innards were completely destroyed, killing it. It slumped to the ground in two pieces. Fluro-red blood was everywhere.

The second Hunter stared in shock at the loss of its brother. It roared in fury and jumped 20 metres, bringing its shield down with a loud thud. Kelly just barely got out of the way, stunned by this massive creature's sudden pace.

"Hey ugly!" came a voice. The Hunter turned and saw a red laser reticule pointed at its head.

"Welcome to Reach," said Fred, Spartan Laser primed and ready to fire.

A massive red beam of death slammed into the Hunter, killing it instantly.

Fred held the pose as steam poured from the barrel.

"That...was EPIC!" exclaimed Rylee.

The surviving Covenant forces started to back away.

The Falcon landed and Jake stood up on his seat.

"THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" he yelled ecstatically, "You came to the wrong neighbourhood, motherfuckers!"

He sat back down, lifted the Falcon back up and opened fire.

An Elite finally snapped from its trance, and returned the standard response. The units around it started coming round and resumed their attack. The Clearing once again became an explosion of flying plasma and needles.

The fighting became heavy as Covenant reinforcements poured in. The Spartans on the ground were starting to feel the strain.

Jake lowered the Falcon and beckoned Halsey on board. She was more than eager to comply, taking a passenger seat.

The marines held their triggers, spraying death amongst the Jackals and Grunts below. The Elites dodged about, before getting picked off by the Spartans on foot.

But they kept coming.

Jake looked up to see a Covenant Assault Carrier moving into position and feared the worst.

But, strangely, it didn't do anything. It just sat there, watching the carnage below.

Plasma shots struck the armoured cockpit, snapped him back to reality, and he responded the way anyone else would. He brought the gunsights to bear on the Jackals below and pulled the trigger.

"Jake, we have Phantoms inbound," said Ben's voice on the radio. He turned and saw them. Red bolts of plasma hurtled towards them. He rammed open the throttle, launching the Falcon into a rapid climb. The Phantoms lumbered into range and he opened fire.

He pulled alongside one. Ben let loose a broadside of sorts, wreaking havoc on board the Phantom. Dead bodies and survivors simply fell and jumped respectively. At this height, the jumpers were killed on landing. The Grunts on Plasma turrets didn't stand a chance. The Phantom, suddenly void of its cargo, pulled up and retreated.

They pulled alongside another Phantom, and Sam did the same to that. More potential reinforcements were killed. They were on a roll. The remaining Phantoms learned quickly and closed their blast doors.

"We're gonna have to get real close now," said Jake, shooting down a gunner. The Grunts on turrets didn't have the leisure of protection.

He pulled up dangerously close to the Phantom, beckoning Ben to pour fire into the small gap normally occupied by the now-deceased gunner. The troops inside hid behind the safety of the blast doors.

"I can't get 'em" he said, shaking his head.

Jake pulled away and shot the gunner on a different Phantom. The crew scrambled to close the doors, but for some, it was too late, as Sam shot them down.

The remaining Phantoms powered on, ignoring the attacks this meagre fly threw at them. Jake pressed home his attacks, trying to pry open any weak points in their armour and picking off the gunners.

Finally, a Phantom's structural integrity gave in, and Jake drove home another long burst into the weak point. The Phantom blew up in a spectacular fashion.

He switched to another Phantom. They couldn't drop their troops, to risk having them mowed down before they can even step off. So they hovered around trying to avoid the persistent Falcon.

Jake exposed a weak link in another one, and it too exploded. The Phantoms had had enough. The bay doors opened and much needed- reinforcements dropped out. Jake and the marines made mincemeat of a majority of them.

The Phantoms pulled away.

Jake pressed his attacks against the ground forces. The corpses were starting to pile up. But they kept coming.

...

The battle had been raging for almost an hour and a half now. Wave after wave of Covenant pressed home their assaults, to be beaten back with almost 100% casualty rates. There were dead bodies everywhere. But the Spartans were starting to run low on ammunition.

The constant attacks were having an effect. Fred was starting to feel exhausted. Kelly leaned against a tree, trying to keep the Covenant from over-running her. Alex and Rylee huddled behind a stump, trying to recuperate. Will rested against another tree, shooting whatever ran past. At the moment, Jake's air support was a big life-saver.

Another Phantom appeared in the distance. Fred moaned, hoping that the Covenant would soon hit breaking point as well.

Jake made another glance at the Assault Carrier above, and saw that it was gone. Strange, he thought, Covenant warships almost NEVER pass up the opportunity to glass helpless UNSC below.

He turned and engaged the Phantom. It suddenly blew up in front of him before he could fire a shot. This was VERY strange. That just blew up without him! That's no fun. He saw the reason why.

A Pelican came out from where the Phantom just was and lowered to the ground. A familiar face hopped out.

"Chief!" exclaimed Fred and Kelly in unison, "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes!"

The Master Chief nodded in greeting.

The newcomer loaded the miraculously-still-intact supply crates onto the Pelican, and then everyone else piled on board.

The Pelican rose into the sky with Jake's Falcon as escort.

"Dammit," said Jake over the radio, "This bird will only go so high. You're gonna have to come back for us".

"Copy that," said the Pelican pilot.

Jake lowered back down as the Pelican soared towards the Covenant Assault Carrier, which was currently locked in battle against the surrounding Covenant fleet.

The Pelican eased into the Hanger bay and landed with a soft thud. Everyone hopped out with a container (or two) in hand.

"Where's Halsey?" asked John.

"She's on board that Falcon we left behind," said Will.

"Well then we have to go back," he said.

"Way ahead of you," said the Pelican pilot, already engaging the thrusters.

The Pelican almost seemed serene as it left the bay.

"Don't take too long," he muttered softly.

...

The Falcon rested in the Clearing. Jake stroked the canopy like he would his pet.

"Just as I was getting attached to it too," he said, "she's done a good job. Rest in peace, buddy."

Halsey, Sam and Ben sat on blown-up tree stumps. "Let's hope that Pelican doesn't take too long to come back.

Everyone froze when a twig snapped. They turned and saw several Brutes fail miserably at stealth. There was a tense silence as the two groups stared at each other. Then everyone kicked into action.

Sam, Halsey and Ben dashed for the Falcon. The Brutes charged. Jake sprang into action and punched a Brute straight across its jaw. Several teeth went flying.

The Brute clutched its jaw in pain and surprise. Its group stopped and stared at Jake in shock as he activated his Energy Swords. A wave of fury came over them, and they charged.

Jake swiftly slashed them down one by one.

"Impotent wankers," he muttered.

More Brutes emerged from the tree line (if you could still call it that), Spikers blazing. Ben mounted a gun turret on the Falcon and returned fire. Sam and Halsey ducked behind the Falcon as several spikes slammed into it like arrows. Jake ploughed right into them, heedless of their attacks, cutting them down to size left, right and centre.

He got so carried away he didn't realize his Swords were running out of power.

He pulled back a stab a Brute in the face and ended up punching it instead. He glanced briefly at the now-useless hilt. He dropped it and pulled out his Magnum.

He uppercutted a Brute with his left, and discovered that it was out too.

"Shit!" he cursed, jumping backwards. The Brutes still alive had evil grins, standing menacingly over the almost-weaponless warrior.

Ben came to his rescue, gun turret blazing The Brutes retreated, trying to avoid being hit. Two of them didn't make it under the hail of fire.

"I probably still could've taken them," Jake muttered, "I still have my shottie..."

"You're welcome," said Ben.

Another Brute snuck up on Jake, and placed its Spiker to his head...

He reached over and snatched it from the startled Brute's hands. He turned around and rammed the weapon's blades into its gut.

"It's not called a 'motion tracker' for nothing," he said lowly, ripping the blades out. He then shot the Brute in the head.

There was a low roar as the Pelican dropped into view. They sighed in relief as everyone got on board.

As they flew away, Jake made one last look at the area. The jungle around the clearing was utterly destroyed. There were corpses EVERYWHERE. The ground had been painted several shades of blue with blood.

He glanced at the Falcon for the last time, and then turned to take a seat.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

_The walk down the stairs is slow and silent. He has his arm around her shoulder and his head leaning on hers. They walk to the lobby and sit on the couch, listening to the explosions as the Covenant Cruiser bombards the city around them._

"_I guess this is it," he says, "You were right. We're all doomed to die sooner or later. It's just a matter of when and how". He pauses to meet her gaze. Her brown eyes are moist with tears._

"_Don't talk like that," she begs, "You said so yourself that you'd pull us through, and I believe that it can still be done."_

_She leans into his chest, "I don't want to die just yet. Not here, not now". _

_He nods and gently rubs her back. _

_He looks around and spots a radio on the counter._

_He stands up and wanders over, flicking it on._

"_...this is the Captain of the UNSC _Aegis Fate_: We are ready to go, cast-off in 7 minutes..."_

_Their eyes widen. 7 minutes! They had to move._

"_Come on," he beckons hurriedly. They race outside and hop in the Warthog. He switches the ignition. The starter motor whirrs, but the engine fails to start._

"_No, no, no, no, no, no, no," he says frantically, trying again. The engine refuses to ignite._

"_Shiiiiit," he moans, leaning on the steering wheel._

_He gets out and looks around. Surely in the carpark, there would be another vehicle they could use._

_He finds what he's looking for: another conveniently placed Warthog. _

_Perfect! He thought. _

"_Come on Corporal! We have a..." He trails off. She's staring off into the distance. "What are you looking at? Come on!" He says._

"_H...H-Hunters..." She stutters, trembling in fright._

_What? He thought, looking around. Oh, there they are. The Hunters are a fair way up the highway, pacing around as if they were looking for something. _

"_Come on Corporal," he says gently, "if we move quietly, they won't notice us, so let's go"._

_She remains frozen. "Damn it Corporal, now isn't the time for this!" He says getting frantic._

_She slowly comes to her senses, and hops out of the 'Hog. He takes her hand and leads her to the fresh one. He ushers her into the passenger seat._

_He switches the ignition and the 'Hog roars to life. _

_The Hunters turn towards the commotion._

"_They've seen us!" she yells, almost in a high-pitched squeal, "Go, go, GO!"_

_He didn't need to be told twice. He floors it, and the Warthog thunders off down the main road._

_She prayed that they'd make it to the _Fate_ in time..._

_..._

_..._

There was a loud CLAP.

Ben flinched into reality.

"Welcome back Sunshine," said Jake, "We're here".

Ben stood up and hopped out into the Hanger of the _Ascendant Justice_.

"John!" exclaimed Halsey, "I'm glad to see you again".

"Ma'am," he said with a nod.

"Prepare for the jump to Slipspace," said a voice on the ship's intercom.

Every one left the Hanger just as the Jump initiated.

Sam and Ben looked around them. The Covenant ship was a LOT different to any UNSC ship they'd been on. As they explored the hallways and catacombs, the voice on the intercom came back: "Attention! Covenant ships have followed us into Slipspace! Prepare for battle!"

They rushed to a window and saw a dozen Cruisers pursuing them.

"Alright people, let's DO this!" said Jake enthusiastically.

John looked at him in a puzzled fashion.

"Is he for real?" he asked.

"Ugh, don't get me STARTED on THAT guy," replied Halsey, shaking her head, "He's good, but he's very, VERY reckless".

The _Justice _rocked as the space around it lit up with explosions. Fighting in Slipspace meant that the plasma torpedos also had to make a jump of sorts, completely throwing off everyone's aim. The shots flew about in erratic fashions. Where they ended up was almost at random. You had to take a rough aim and hope for the best.

"By the way," asked Ben, "if everyone is HERE, then who's flying this crate?"

"Cortana," said John.

"Cortana? Who's that?" he asked sceptically.

"She's the AI controlling this ship," replied John.

"An AI, huh? I bet that'd make things a hell of a lot easier," said Ben.

"You have no idea".

They looked and saw four Cruisers explode into oblivion.

"I'm glad you could 'jack one of THESE," said Jake, "She packs a punch!"

"It HAS been modified," explained John, "The weapons charge much faster than normal and parts of the UNSC _Gettysburg_ have been drafted on board".

"You know, I'd never thought I'd be HAPPY to be on board one of these things," said Jake.

"You have experience with Covenant vessels?" asked John.

"During the Reach campaign, we 'jacked a Corvette and had some fun with it," he said, an almost childish tone coming to his voice, "then we blew it up. It was one of the prettiest pieces of pyrotechnics I'd seen in a long time".

"I heard a story," said Sam, "that some Spartans hijacked a Corvette and used it to take out that Covenant Supercarrier. Was that you?"

"No, but I wish it was," he said, "From where I was, that was also a damn fine bang. I had a grandstand view, from a skyscraper in New Alexandria".

The _Justice_ suddenly jerked violently, throwing everyone off their feet.

The Spartans were back up almost instantly.

"Let's just hope she's built to last," said Jake, "otherwise she'll be transporting us to oblivion".

Just as the marines hauled themselves up, another violent jerk knocked them back down on top of each other.

Jake chuckled as they scrambled back up. Marine antics are always fun to watch, he thought.

"Warning!" said the intercom voice, "Slipspace anomaly detected! Brace yourselves!"

Suddenly the view outside became distorted, and everything went black.

...

Everything was a blur.

His vision was distorted, his hearing was almost...muffled. Then suddenly, everything came back into focus.

"Hey Sunshine," said Jake, "You feelin' okay?"

Ben squinted as he came to his senses. "What happened?" he mumbled.

"You haven't been out for long, but it looks like we've come to some sort of Shield World," said Jake.

"Shield World? What..." His head span like a tornado.

"Take a look for yourself".

He peered outside. "The hell...is that a SUN? INSIDE a planet?"

"What else could it be?" asked Jake.

"What sort of group could turn a planet inside-out?" His mind was utterly blown, to say the least.

"Dunno".

Sam sat up and groaned, rubbing her head.

"What happened?" she mumbled.

Halsey looked around. "Unbelievable..." she said, "A Shield World! I have heard of such places, but now I can see one right here right in front of me!"

"What happened to those Cruisers pursuing us?" asked Jake.

"I guess we lost them," replied John simply.

"Attention everybody!" said Cortana, "We are coming in to land".

The _Ascendant Justice_ came to rest in a large clearing in a jungle with a thud.

As everyone disembarked, John made a b-line for the bridge. He removed Cortana's chip from the computer and placed it in a slot in the back of his helmet. Then he ran to join everyone else.

They all gathered near a fallen log.

"There doesn't appear to be any Covenant here, so we can breathe easy," said Halsey, "We should split into groups and find out what sort of secrets this place holds, and if possible, the way out".

She paced back and forth, "Keep in radio contact at all times, and if there is a native species here, don't use your weapons unless you're forced to. Clear?"

There was a murmur of "Yes ma'am".

"Alright, let's spread out and move".

The marines started heading to the South East. The jungle was rather thick, and there were no clear trails to follow. Animal calls of all sorts echoed for miles.

It was very hot, and the marines were quickly forced to strip to their fatigues. They could still see the others fanning out, looking around.

"Alright Sam, let's have fun with this," said Ben, "use your imagination: We're full-on explorers searching for treasure!" He made a pose, holding his hand over his brow as if he was searching for something.

Sam giggled at his antics, "Come on then, let's move".

They looked around in awe, as small creatures scurried amongst the trees.

"Crickey!" exclaimed Ben in a fake accent, reminiscent of long ago, "Take a look at THIS lil' beauty!"

He held up a small reptile for Sam to see. It was green, had small black eyes and a row of short, stumpy spines down its back.

It hissed in her face. "Maybe you should put him down. He doesn't seem to like being held," she said.

"There ya go lil' fella," said Ben, placing the creature on a log. It quickly scampered off and disappeared.

"Hey, look at that," said Sam, pointing at a large bird. It was gliding around gracefully, riding the air currents, "I've never seen anything like that before. Where's a camera when you need it..."

Ben scooped up a small mammal. "Get a load of THIS little tacker," he said, not dropping the accent.

Sam was wide-eyed at the sight of it. "Awww, isn't it so CUTE!" she cooed. It curled up in fright. Ben placed it down and it scurried off into the distance.

Suddenly, the large bird swooped down, snatched it up in its claws and carried it off.

Sam stared in horror as it flew away. Ben blinked in shock.

I guess nature isn't so peaceful after all, he thought.

They kept walking, the light mood destroyed.

...

"Where are we now?" asked Sam.

They'd been walking for hours, pointing out unusual creatures, laughing at Ben's Steve Irwin impression as he tried to make up stuff about them or his attempts to handle them, and overall having a good time.

"I think," said Ben, "that we're lost".

They looked around. There was nothing but jungle in every direction. A small creek flowed nearby.

"Let's see where that goes," said Ben, pointing at it. Sam nods and they start walking along its bank.

Following the creek led them to a small clearing with a clear, fresh rock pool.

Sam watched as Ben dropped his equipment without a second thought and simply jumped in.

"Phew, this is nice!" he said, paddling around, "Come in, the water's lovely!"

"But Halsey said we should be exploring..." She said.

"Come on, it's not that deep," he insisted, "We need a bath anyway".

"Oh, alright. But not for too long, we need to keep moving after this". She placed her equipment next to his and jumped in.

"It's not bad is it?" he asked, splashing her with water.

"Not at all," she said, splashing him back, triggering a water-fight. They carried on like small children, playing about without a care in the world, shrugging off all concerns and simply letting loose.

It was as if time had lost all meaning as they swam about, talking about all they had gone through together, about Jake's antics in battle, about all the weird and wonderful wildlife they saw here.

They didn't notice that the artificial sun was dimming, to replicate evening. They didn't care.

All they cared about, was each other.

...

Jake made his way through the dense jungle. For the past 8 hours, he'd been wandering aimlessly with nothing to do. It was weird, not having the expectation that any moment could bring an Elite and its brainless squad to pick a fight with him. It was...boring.

He found a small creek. Might as well have a quick drink, he figured. He placed his helmet next to him and started cupping water to his mouth.

Ugh. He'd drunk better stuff than that in his life.

You probably could live on it, he thought, but it tastes like shit.

He got up, put on his helmet and continued walking, following the creek. Such a peaceful place, he thought. He wondered what a world without violence would be like. As a Spartan, he knew nothing BUT the Military, trained for war since he was a child.

A thought crossed his mind. What was the purpose to it all? So that people like Ben and Sam could live in peace? So that the Human Race in general had SOME chance for survival in this bleak period of time? So that-WHAT THE FUCK?

He blinked. He wiped his visor several times. He even punched himself lightly in the head.

He stood in shock as, right before him the two marines were locked in a tight embrace, in the middle of a deep and passionate kiss, blissfully unaware of his presence.

He slowly backed away as quietly as possible.

He couldn't believe his eyes. They finally did it. He had a slight, nagging feeling it was going to happen eventually, but it was still a shock. He walked away, the image burnt into his memory.

"The lucky sonofabitch," he whispered, shaking his head.

...

The next morning brought a cool, refreshing breeze.

Jake had a sleepless night. A large animal had disturbed the little sleep he had. The creature tried to make a meal of this strange morsel it discovered. It failed abysmally against his titanium armour. He simply rammed his pistol into its head and blew its brains out. After that, he struggled to sleep at all.

What a boring place this is, he thought. No challenge at all.

...

Ben slowly came round. He blinked a few times and noticed Sam cuddling up happily beside him. He slowly pulled himself out of the water, trying not to wake her. Then he noticed in shock that all their clothes were at the bottom of the pool.

Oh crap, he thought.

He scrambled to retrieve his clothing and put them on.

Let's hope no-one passed through during the night, he thought desperately.

His radio cackled.

"Good news everyone," said Halsey's voice, "John discovered a way out last night, so everyone has to rendezvous back at the Justice. We leave tonight. Over and out"

He looked about lazily. The memories of last night flashed vividly like a newsreel. He blinked several times, trying to shut them out.

He paced back to Sam and gently woke her up, "Come on, we need to regroup with the others".

As she tried to get her attire back on, Ben stood nearby, trying to rinse the water from his clothes.

They would tell no-one, he decided, not even Jake. Scrap that, ESPECIALLY not Jake.

Speaking of the devil...

Jake wandered into view just as Sam got her shirt on.

"Oh here you guys are!" he said cheerfully, "You should've told us over the radio that this was here, otherwise WE could've washed up as well".

"Where did you end up going last night?" asked Ben.

"Oh, here and there. This place is sooo boring!" he replied.

"I thought it's a fantastic place," said Sam, "the variety in wildlife here was AMAZING".

"Yeah, I thought that too, especially the night life," said Jake in an immature tone, unable to contain himself, "it really comes alive when you're not looking".

They stared at him in shock. "What...how..." was all Ben could utter.

"Oh please, as if you didn't anticipate that ANYONE else was gonna find this place," he said casually, gesturing to the spring.

"What... when..." stammered Sam.

"Don't worry, I didn't see much," he said, "I may be crazy, but I'm not perverted. I know to give people privacy when they need it".

"Well...what DID you see?" asked Ben, "Wait, on second thoughts, don't answer that".

"Enough to anticipate where it was going," replied Jake.

They sighed in relief. At least he didn't see them...and maybe it's for the better he didn't.

...

Everyone gathered around Halsey. The marines stumbled from the bushes, dripping wet and covered in twigs and dirt.

"Looks like you two had quite an adventure," commented Rylee.

Jake chuckled, "You wouldn't believe them if they told you". He left it at that.

"Well, since we're all here, it's high time we got out of here," said Halsey.

As they walked up the boarding ramp, Ben muttered to Jake in a low voice, "NOBODY is to know what transpired here".

"My lips are sealed, you have my promise," he said.

...

The Ascendant Justice slowly rose into the air, leaving a vast cloud of dust in its wake. Cortana increased the throttle as the big ship sailed through a large rift that opened up, into a vast tunnel of structures and finally, space.

...

**So there you have it. My first fanfic is complete, and in 7 chapters too. Bungie would be proud (For those who don't know, 7 is Bungie's favourite number).**

**Please review and have a nice day.**


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